Do You Know the Meaning of These Common Southern Phrases?

By: Becky Stigall
Estimated Completion Time
1 min
Do You Know the Meaning of These Common Southern Phrases?
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About This Quiz

People in many areas have their own ways of saying things. If you aren't in the know, you might feel left out. Southerners are known for their colorful dialect. Can you complete each one of these phrases?
A ____ to.
knowledge
have
mind
gloss
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"I've got a mind to" is a common Southern saying. It means someone is considering something.

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Aren't you ________?
golden
happy
precious
sleepy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Aren't you precious?" is not typically a compliment. This phrase is usually used sarcastically.

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Stop ______ ugly.
asking
entering
acting
going
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "stop acting ugly." Ugly usually means "mean."

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Barking up the wrong ____.
tree
hill
cane
house
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "barking up the wrong tree." This means that you are off track or wrong about something.

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Bless your _____.
hands
head
feet
heart
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Bless your heart" is another one of those Southern sayings that isn't really a compliment. This means that the speaker thinks you are not particularly bright.

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Too big for your _______.
hands
britches
feet
shirt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "too big for your britches." This usually means that the speaker thinks you're a bit too proud of yourself.

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Catty ______.
house
acting
corner
gone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The phrase is "catty corner." This means "diagonal to."

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Back teeth are ________.
hurting
gone
floating
clean
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "back teeth are floating." This means that you really have to go to the bathroom.

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Fixin' ______.
to
up
gone
there
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No, it doesn't have anything to do with side dishes, although side dishes may be called "fixins." In this case, "fixin' to" means thinking about doing.

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Fly off the ______.
floor
barn
handle
head
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "fly off the handle." This means that you've lost your temper or gotten ahead of yourself.

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Got the _____ end of the stick.
long
open
short
closed
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "got the short end of the stick." It means that you got a raw deal or you were cheated.

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Give me some _____.
sugar
money
time
effort
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "give me some sugar." It means "give me a kiss."

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Good old ___.
cat
boy
dog
pie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "good old boy." This is used to describe a rough and tumble, traditional Southern male.

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She had a _____ fit.
fighting
real
clover
hissy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "she had a hissy fit." A hissy fit is a temper tantrum.

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Give me a ______.
lead
dime
holler
penny
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "give me a holler." This means to give the speaker a call.

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If the _____ don't rise.
bed
moon
creek
sun
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "if the creek don't rise." This is the same as saying "if nothing changes."

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Nervous as a long-tailed _____ in a room full of rocking chairs.
cat
sun
moon
spot
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs." As you can imagine, such a cat would be pretty nervous.

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Off like a herd of _______.
rats
turtles
rabbits
cats
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The phrase is "off like a herd of turtles." This means that you are off to a slow start.

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I _____ that's so.
yonder
see
reckon
gloat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "I reckon that's so." If a Southerner says this to you, he/she is actually agreeing with you.

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Rode hard and put away _____.
over
there
wet
gone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "rode hard and put away wet." This expression means that someone is tired after working hard.

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Run with the ___ dogs.
big
old
brown
four-legged
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is to "run with the big dogs." This means that you might be getting in over your head.

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Snake in the _____.
watch
well
grass
purse
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "snake in the grass." Watch out for someone with this reputation - they probably can't be trusted and will strike without warning.

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Squeeze a quarter so tight the _____ screams.
silver
flag
eagle
cents
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The phrase is "squeeze a quarter so tight the eagle screams." This expression is used to describe someone who is very cheap.

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Use the _______.
head
feet
sweeper
tail
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The missing word is "sweeper." Sweeper is Southern for vacuum.

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She's really ________ on.
moving
carrying
up
over
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is to "carry on." This refers to someone who is acting foolishly or having a hissy fit.

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Hit ______ the head.
upside
over
under
inside
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "hit upside the head." This means on the head... anywhere really.

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Back in her _______ grounds.
over
under
aside
stomping
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "stomping grounds." The word "stompin'" can also be used. Stomping grounds are another word for home neighborhood.

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She's all ____ up.
hold
sad
tore
happy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "all tore up." This means to be upset about something.

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Doesn’t amount to a hill of _____.
bacon
beans
oatmeal
cars
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "doesn't amount to a hill of beans." This means that something is relatively worthless.

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Over ______.
yonder
there
hill
barn
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "over yonder." This means "over there," but the "there" in this case is open to interpretation.

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Madder than a ___ hen.
cold
wet
hot
tired
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "madder than a wet hen." A wet hen is very mad indeed.

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'Till the ____ come home.
kids
fox
deet
cows
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "till the cows come home." This might take a while.

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If I had my ________.
druthers
brothers
sisters
uncles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "if I had my druthers." This means "if I had my way."

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Full as a ____.
bird
dog
tick
cat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "full as a tick." Since ticks are known to gorge themselves, this expression means that someone is very, very full.

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Hold your ______.
cats
dogs
horses
canaries
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The expression is "hold your horses." This means to slow down.

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You Got:
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